Britain makes up 36% of Hays' fees and the company is often seen
as a proxy for the health of the economy — if Hays is doing lots
of recruiting, then that probably means the economy is in good
shape.

The good news is Hays recorded a 6% growth in fees in Britain
over the last three months, although this is slightly slower than
the 9% growth recorded in the previous quarter.

The increase was largely down to the performance of the sectors
mentioned above.

Education was the standout performer, with fees rising by 12%,
but this was largely seasonal — schools and universities
recruiting teaching positions ahead of the new school year
starting in September. (The quarter being reported runs to
September 30.)

Tech, or "IT" as Hays still calls it, is also doing great, with
fees rising by 11% there. But perhaps the most interesting area
of growth is construction and property. Here's fees also jumped
11%.

It's yet another indicator that the property sector is on fire
right now.

Hays also reported an 8% in fees globally, helped by strong
growth in Germany where it has been investing.

But CEO Alistair Cox warned: "Looking ahead, while we continue to
see generally consistent conditions overall, the year-on-year
comparators become more challenging, notably in the UK and
Australia, and we are mindful of current macro-economic risks.
Given this backdrop, we remain focused on driving profitable
growth in our business."